Falling Away from Me
by Ari1
Summary: Set in the CWF timeline, Ash loses his mother, Gohan's baby brother is born, and both their lives are changed further still.


FALLING AWAY FROM ME 

DISCLAIMERS: I do not own any form of Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, or the World Wres- tling Federation. Nor do I claim any rights to the song "Falling Away from Me" by KoRn. However, I am the president of the Cartoon Wrestling Federation, the timeline in which this fic is set in. 

NOTES: This fic has been rated R, and it contains harsh language, death, threats of physical damage as well as suicide, and one abusive, dead-beat dad. 

CWF Home Page: http://officialcwf.cjb.net 

DATE: FEBRUARY 22 2000 TIME: 10:16 EST PLACE: BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS WEATHER: MOSTLY CLOUDY, 70% CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS, LOW 41 

Hey, I'm feeling tired, My time's gone today, You fled with suicide, sometimes, that's okay. Hear what others say, I'm here, standing hollow Falling away from me, falling away from me.... 

"Hey, Ash, I heard about your mother." 

He heard about his mother all right. And so did the rest of the wrestling world. And so did about a half a billion people on five continents. They all heard about it. She was dead. The waters of the Mississippi River flooded most of southeastern Louisiana, destroying everything in its path. Including his hometown of Pallet. His mother was liv- ing at home, watching him every time he came on CWF RAW is WAR or CWF Smack Down!. But now, the only family he had left was gone. Plus, he had nowhere else to go. 

"Ash, will you be okay?" 

As he stood in the cold, lonely night, he tried the best he could to remember his mother for the woman she was...loving, supportive, always by his side...but he found that to be a difficult task with Gohan hanging around him. Gohan had been through a lot with him. They had been best friends, partners, and even CWF Tag Team Champions. They had cared a lot for each other. 

And now here he was, pestering him. Asking him questions. Couldn't he see his pain? Had he no sympathy? He tried to cope with him, but the sadness that he lost when he learned of his mother's death and the anger he felt for wanting to be alone and not all accumulated into one very heartbreaking scene. 

Ash spun quickly around to look his friend in his eyes. And his entire emotional trauma came spilling forth. Tears burned his eyes as he screamed "SHUT UP RIGHT NOW! JUST SHUT UP! YOUR DAMN MOTHER IS STILL ALIVE! JUST GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, OKAY?!" 

Gohan could not believe what he had heard. Sure he was upset, but Gohan was questioning how he was handling the situation. 

"Wait, Ash!" Gohan pleaded. "I'm not-" 

Still, Ash had snapped, and he was taking out his anger on his best friend. "YOU WANT ME TO KICK YOUR ASS RIGHT HERE AND NOW?! GET AWAY FROM ME, AND DON'T COME BACK! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT, OKAY?! GO AWAY!" 

Gohan was in total shock as he gazed into the tear-riddled, bloodshot eyes and the now twisted facial expression of his best friend. Even worse, Gohan knew that Ash Ketchum would back up every word that he said. So Gohan ran off, part in fear, leaving Ash there by himself. 

Brilliant Move, Ash, he thought to himself. How many more of your close com- panions are you gonna lose, huh? To make things worse, the cameramen were there, recording every moment. As soon as the cameraman said that they were clear, Ash took off, fleeing into the Boston night. 

As the crowd had already left the arena, and as the ring crew was cleaning up the remains of a violent brawl, Gohan darted back and forth around the locker room area, looking for his father. "Dad?" he called out. "Dad?" It was here that he bumped into Queen Beryl, who was still on edge from the melee that ensued as RAW went off the air. Gohan let out a startled yelp as he bumped into the tall brunette. 

"Oh hello there, Gohan," Beryl said. 

"M-Ms. Beryl?" Gohan asked, nervously. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Have you seen my dad anywhere?" He had stepped so that he was directly in front of her, inadvertently knocking over her bag at the same time. "Oops." 

"Don't worry about it. You know-" bending down to stand her bag upright "-I did happen to see your father out by the loading docks, you may wanna." But as she got back up, Gohan had already taken off. He shouted his thanks back at Beryl. 

Beryl watched him run. "What a weird kid." 

Gohan ran through the backstage area, calling out for his father, until he re- sponded to his calls. 

"There you are, Gohan!" Goku said. "Where have you been? I've been looking all-" 

"Daddy," he interrupted. "I'm really worried about Ash." 

This surprised Goku. "What's wrong? Where is he?" 

"I...I don't know. I tried talking to him, and he...he just ran off. Please, daddy, can we go look for him, please?" 

"Well, alright. C'mon, get your stuff together, then we'll go look for him." A few minutes passed, and Goku and Gohan were ready to leave. When they opened the door to get out, they saw a thick curtain of heavy rainfall. 

"Awwww, man!" Goku groaned. "Must it rain tonight?!" 

"I just hope Ash isn't stranded somewhere out in this!" The two hurried through the parking lot, where Goku's Lincoln Navigator was sitting. They loaded the SUV, hopped in, and sped out of the Boston Fleet Center. 

Day, is here faded, that's when I'm insane, I fled with suicide, sometimes, kill the pain. I can always say "It's gonna be better tomorrow." Falling away from me, falling away from me.... 

When the heavy rainfall started to fall down upon the city, Ash did not even bother to run for any kind of cover. He wouldn't find any anywhere nearby, since he was standing on the edge of a bridge, overlooking a river. He stared into the black waters below, trying to find an answer. 

"What am I supposed to do?" Ash asked himself. "I can't believe it would hap- pen...I have nothing...nothing at all." Ash stood there as the freezing rain drenched his wrestling attire, and as fresh tears started to roll down his face. He rubbed them out of his eyes, but as he did, he winced and his vision blurred slightly as his hand grazed un- derneath his eyes. That never really bothered him before, but as he did, he was re- minded of his father. 

His father. 

Such a pathetic human being, he was. An alcoholic, a wife-beater, unemployed, miserable...the only thing he wasn't was a child molester, thank god. And if he ever was...His eyes - which, at some angles, had the appearance of small zigzag lines un- derneath them - he had nearly lost the use of them after his father punched him out. Those hurtful words that he shouted at him chronically still burned his ears. You rotten bastard....worthless piece of shit...you'll never amount to anything...fucking brat...It seemed as a blessing when he left them when Ash was six. The next four years Ash and his mother spent rebuilding their ruined lives, trying to mend their physical and emotional wounds. Such memories only made Ash cry more. 

Ash stepped up onto the narrow platform where the cables were holding up the bridge. The rain lashed against his face as he peered into the dark, murky water. When he wiped off his face with his saturated sleeve, only more rain returned on his face. He couldn't tell how far down the water was, but it didn't really matter to him. After taking one last look he tipped his head up slowly, closed his eyes, and sighed. He then ex- tended a foot over the edge of the bridge. He whispered, "Hold the gates open, mom. I'm coming." 

However, as he extended his foot, a navy blue Lincoln Navigator screeched to a halt on the other side of the bridge. The driver and back left door flung open, and two people emerged. The two ran over to Ash. 

"ASH! NOOOOO!!!" the screams came. Ash turned around, and his eyes went wide. Goku and Gohan were rushing over to him, pleading with him not to take his own life. 

Ash didn't react to the help the way he had chosen to. "What do you two want?" 

"Ash," Goku started, "don't do this. Think about it, man." 

"Think about what?!" Ash screamed. "About how much my life is fucking over?! Huh?! What do you want me to think about?!" 

"Ash," Gohan started, "please. Don't jump. I'm sorry about what happened to your mom. I really am. At least, just talk to us." Ash could see that Gohan and Goku were serious about what they said. But now he was just in so much pain and hurting all over that he still wanted to shut out the world from him. 

"I wanna be alone," Ash answered. "Just leave me alone." Fresh sobs filled the air, muffled only by the pouring rain. "What do you two know?!" 

"I do know this," Goku explained, "it really does hurt when you lose someone you love so much. Sure, nothing I say will make it go away, I know that. But there are better ways to deal with your pain. Nothing is over, Ash. All we're asking is that you come back with us, and stop all this foolishness. We're really worried about you." 

"Me too, Ash," Gohan finished. "I mean, you've been there for me when I went through what I had to go through. And honestly...I want to return the favor." Ash hung his head. "Listen, Ash, you...I love you, man. I mean, you're like a brother to me." Go- han started to shed some tears of his own. "I don't want to do anything stupid, Ash. Hell, everyone you know is worried about you, and it's not just us." He didn't get a re- sponse. "Please..." 

Ash was speechless. Maybe he had been rash. Maybe he had been taking this the wrong way. And maybe Goku and Gohan were right. What else could he do? Oh yeah, jump off this bridge and see if the 17,000 crates of tea that the colonists dumped into the water were still down there. Oh well, might as well. 

Carefully, Ash tightened his grip on the steel support wire, and nervously stepped onto the road. He slowly walked over to the two who had just talked him into not com- mitting suicide. Ash looked at Gohan dead in his eyes. And then, he threw his arms around him, and cried even louder and harder into his shirt. "It's alright, Ash," Gohan murmured. "It'll be alright." As Goku also embraced the two, he noticed that all of Ash's clothes were soaked all the way through. 

"We'd better get back to the hotel," Goku suggested. The three agreed, Goku took off his coat and gave it to Ash to wear, and the three got into the SUV and drove back to the hotel where most of the CWF talent was staying. 

Goku was driving, and Ash and Gohan were in the back seat, Ash shivering un- der the blankets from the back of the car he was wrapped up in. There were few words exchanged in the car on the ride back. Partly because Goku's attempts at conversation were haphazard, and Ash really wasn't in the mood to talk. However, Ash did have one thing to say. "Gohan?" he asked. 

"Yeah?" Gohan answered. 

"Listen, um..." Ash stammered, trying to find the right words. "Look, about ear- lier..." 

Gohan knew where this was going. "It's alright." 

"No, it's not alright. I know that I should have handled myself better, and I really didn't mean to yell at you like I did, okay?" He let out a sneeze. "I'm sorry." 

"I understand," was the response he got. 

It was 11:30. When the three returned to the hotel, they went straight up to their room, and Goku told Ash to take a bath. He lingered in the bath water for about 15-20 minutes, and when he got out, he changed into his pajamas...one of the few articles of clothing he had. Everything that Ash had in this world could now fit into the one suitcase he took with him on the road. But when he emerged from the bathroom, both Goku and Gohan were dressed in regular clothes. 

"What's going on?" Ash asked, in confusion. 

"We're going down to get something to eat," Goku said. "Care to come with us?" 

Ash wasn't really too thrilled. "Well, I'm not sure." 

"If you need something to wear, I got an outfit you can wear," Gohan said, rum- maging through the drawers and handing him one of his outfits. 

However, Ash still didn't show any signs of more interest. He pushed away the outfit and said, "I appreciate it, but no thanks. I don't want to spoil the mood for you two. No offense, but no thanks. I'd rather be myself for a while." 

Goku and Gohan looked at each other for a moment. "I understand." Goku reached into his pocket, pulled out his money clip, and pulled out three $10.00 bills. "Here," he said, handing them to Ash. "If you want something from room service, feel free to order something. We'll try not to be too late." At that, Goku and Gohan left the room, went to the elevator, and headed downstairs. 

Beating me down, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground. Screaming so sound, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground.... 

The hotel was a decent one, and it contained several restaurants, an arcade, a gift shop, and the like. Goku was seated at a bar, unconsciously eating peanuts out of a bowl, watching the scene, solemnly. There was little to break the monotony around him until he felt a slap on his back and a voice saying, "You seem to be having a good time, aren't ya?" 

Goku turned around to see The Rock smiling at him. "Hey Dwayne," Goku said. 

"How you doin', buddy?" Rock answered, taking a seat in the stool next to him. "What's the matter, not in a good mood?" 

"I just got a lot on my mind, that's all. I'm just really worried about Ash." 

"Everyone is. I'm sure he'll get through this. After all, everyone's watching out for him, right?" 

Just then, the bartender came over to the two. "What can I get you two?" 

"I'll take a Coors," Rock said. To Goku, "What about you?" 

Goku sighed. "A martini, please." The bartender then went to get their orders. "What do you think I should do, Dwayne? This is just eating at me every second of my life now." 

"I can't really tell you what to do." He paused to thank the bartender as he brought them their drinks. "Give it some time, you'll figure it out." Goku took a sip of his martini. "Besides, he seems to be really close with Gohan, I'd really hate to see those two separated." 

"I know. They're really close friends." 

"By the way, I was just about to go grab a bite to eat, feel like joinin' me?" Rock asked. 

"What the hell, we were about to do the same." He finished his drink, and the two got up and walked to a nearby restaurant in the hotel. "Speaking of which, where is Gohan?" 

"I figured you needed some time by yourself, so I gave him a few bucks and sent him to the arcade." Goku saw Gohan playing a game by the entrance. He called him, and the three went into the restaurant. 

"I just hope Ash is feeling better," Goku said. 

However, Ash was not feeling better. Only about ten minutes after they left, Ash had fallen asleep on one of the beds in the room. He wanted to occupy himself for a while, so he sifted through the collection of CDs the boys had. He wanted to listen to something different, so he looked through Gohan's CDs. Yikes, he thought. Mostly heavy metal and rock and roll stuff, he observed. Fear Factory, Metallica, Eve, Kid Rock, DMX, Faith No More, KoRn. Ash noticed an abundance of KoRn CDs. Must be his favorite band, he thought. 

So Ash put in the CD ISSUES - the one with the cover that had little stick figure children drawn on the sidewalk - pressed play, and laid back. He wasn't sure what track he put on, he wasn't sure what song he was listening to. Because within minutes, he fell asleep. 

However, he was dreaming his way right into a horrible nightmare. 

Falling away from me, it's spinning round and round, Falling away from me, it's lost and can't be found, Falling away from me, it's spinning round and round, Falling away from me, slow it down. 

It was late. As Ash sat quietly in his room, he shuddered to himself and curled up into a ball as he heard his father yelling at his mother again. Surely it was about his report card; his mother talked to him earlier today about it. His grades had become to slip. Mainly, it was be- cause of his father's treatment towards him and his mother. He was an A/B student, very intelli- gent for a first-grader, however, because of his father's attitude, his constant yelling and dressing- downs of him, he lost concentration in school and had suffered because of it. Even his teachers were worried about it. 

But then Ash heard something from downstairs that made his blood run cold. "I'm going up there!" he heard. A moment later, "Shut up, Liz!" 

All of a sudden, the door to Ash's bedroom door flew open. Marshall Ketchum stood at the door, light beaming in making him appear more ominous and scary than usual. In his one hand, he held his crumpled up report card. 

"What is this?" he asked. 

"Wh-what's what?" Ash asked, frightened. 

"What the fuck is THIS?!" He shoved the report card in Ash's face. "How do you explain this, you little shit?" 

"Dad." Ash hung his head and started to cry. "I'm sorry, dad, I'm really trying my best." 

"Well your best isn't good enough now, is it? Is it?!" Ash couldn't help but cry. "Look at me." No response. "LOOK AT ME you rotten little fuck!" He then grabbed him by the arm. "I brought you into this world-" he shook him violently "-and this is how you fucking repay me?!" Marshall threw Ash onto the bed, face down. In one swift motion, he removed his belt, and started to whip at Ash's backside. 

Despite Ash's screaming, Marshall didn't stop. It was here that Ash's mother came into the room. "That's enough!" Elizabeth said. "Leave him alone Marshall!" 

Marshall spun around and hooked Mrs. Ketchum right in the chin, sending her into a wall. "I thought I told you to stay out of this, bitch!" Elizabeth started to cry. 

"Mommy!" Ash leapt off the bed to his fallen mother, but his father slammed him right into the bedroom door. "Owwwww!" 

"Come here, brat!" Marshall grabbed Ash by the collar, and nailed Ash with a quick jab right in his eye, sending him down. Before he knew what was going on, his father came at him again. This time, a large right hook came down, connecting with Ash's other eye. Everything appeared as a blur to Ash. 

"D-daddy." Ash tried to say. "I...can't see." 

"You'll never amount to anything." With that, Marshall rammed his knee right into the side of Ash's head. He then blacked out. 

Beating me down, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground. Screaming so sound, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground.... 

When Ash regained consciousness, he saw bright lights flying by him in rapid succession. Many people were standing around him talking very fast. Ash's sight was still blurred, but he could make out what they were saying. It turns out he was on a stretcher, being led through a hospital. 

"Can you hear me, son?" one of the paramedics said. He nodded slightly. "What's your name?" 

"A-Ash," he said weakly. His eyes were huge now, due to the hard hits he took thanks to his father. 

"Don't worry, Ash, we're gonna take good care of you..." 

Ash's scream of panic filled the room as he awoke from the nightmare. His hair looked as if it was pasted to his head as a cold sweat gripped him, soaking his pajamas. He was panting heavily. He looked around the room. It was late. Goku was asleep in the bed next to his. The alarm clock read 2:27 A.M. He looked over to his other side, and saw Gohan lying on his side next to him, fast asleep, snoring quietly. For a mo- ment, Ash just sat there, contemplating what he just went through. And then, he started to cry. 

His crying caused Goku to stir in his sleep. A moment later, he woke up, and he saw a crying Ash seated in bed, crying into his hands. 

"Ash!" Goku asked quietly, as to not wake up Gohan. "What's wrong?" 

"N-nothing," Ash lied, "I'm alright." 

"Look at me and say that." 

"I'm-" he looked at Goku for a moment, then turned away. He let out a heavy sigh. "I had a bad dream. That's all." 

"Bad dream? Looks a little bit more like a nightmare, if you ask me. Are you al- right?" Before Ash could answer, Goku got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. He took one of the individually wrapped glasses, tore off the wrapping, and when he came back, he had a full glass of water for Ash to drink. "Here, drink this." Ash's trembling hand slowly guided the glass up to his mouth. "You seem pretty shook up about it," he said once Ash finished the water. "Do you mind me asking what it was about?" 

"Well," Ash started to explain, "it was about my father, and how judgmental he was of me.and, well.this one time, he really beat on us, me and my mom,I-" His composure was starting to wear thin again. "One time I wound up in...the-he put me in the emergency room, and nearly blinded me." Ash cried more, as he couldn't con- tinue his story further. 

Goku understood, though. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said. 

"I have to live with that constantly," he continued, "I see it anytime I look in a mir- ror." He pointed out the marks under his eyes that resembled zigzags. "Right here." 

"What?" Goku looked at where Ash had shown him. "Whoa. I never noticed that before." 

"Yeah." 

"Listen, Ash," Goku started, "I wanna talk to you about something." He looked up at Goku. "You know my wife is gonna have a baby soon, right?" Ash nodded. "Well she called me tonight. I already told Gohan, but we're going home tomorrow. She wants me to be there with her when the time comes." 

Ash didn't seem too thrilled. "So where does that leave me? Who am I gonna be left with?" 

"That's the thing. See, I was planning on having you come home with us." 

Ash was a little surprised. "Um, gee...I'm not sure, I don't want to be a bother for you." 

Goku shook his head. "You won't be a bother. Besides, I think it'll be good for you. Hell, Gohan over there would enjoy having you around." Goku, then Ash, looked over at Gohan, who was still curled up, fast asleep. "Don't mind him, he's a really sound sleeper." 

"I noticed that." 

"He'll sleep through anything. One time one of our neighbors' hot water heaters caught fire. There were fire trucks up and down the block, the neighbors stayed at our house until 8:00 the next morning. Gohan didn't even stir." 

Ash chuckled quietly. "Really?" 

"I am not kidding you." 

Ash started to relax a little bit. "You're positive I won't bother you guys too much?" 

"Don't worry about it." He laid back down in his bed. "We had better go back to sleep. We're gonna get up pretty early tomorrow, okay?" 

"Okay. Goodnight, Goku." 

"Goodnight, Ash." After that, the two went back down to sleep. 

"One more thing," Goku asked. "How are you at Japanese?" 

"I'm pretty decent, I took it in school, I've picked up some stuff from you two, why?" 

"Just wondering. Goodnight." 

"Goodnight Goku." 

At about 5:30 the next morning, Goku and the boys woke up, dressed (Gohan lending Ash an outfit consisting of jeans similar to his own size, and a shirt that read NEW JERSEY: WHERE THE WEAK ARE KILLED AND EATEN - picked up in East Rutherford, NJ), had breakfast by 6 AM, and were out the door of the hotel on their way to the airport at 7:00. At 8:30, their flight took off for Tokyo. Before they got on the plane, Goku phoned home. Yajirobie, who was wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling now, had answered, and was alerted to their arrival. And about seven hours later, the three arrived in Japan, and Ash found himself at the Sonn residence. 

Forcing me, they won't go away. So I pray...go away... 

Ash was in awe the moment Goku pulled up in the driveway of his home. This house was amazing! It was a corner lot, on a very nice suburban neighborhood. The lawn was a very lush green, with a stone path from the driveway to the front door. Most homes on the block were one story, with a basement. When Ash walked in, he learned it had a second story, with the second story being used mostly as Goku and Chichi's bedroom. The house was immaculate! Very well kept, the kitchen was much like the one in his old house, and it had a modern dining room set, as well as a traditional Japa- nese dining room, including a table which you kneeled at to eat. 

Chichi, Bulma, Krillin (recuperating from a severe concussion), Yajirobie (who was soon to be signed with EVW - Extreme Videogame Wrestling), and Ox-King greeted the three when they came home. Her enlarged belly made her almost stagger around. Ash was nervous at first, but the way they welcomed him and the way they made him ease his tensions. Bulma and Ox-King had spent most of the last three weeks at the Sonn house, looking after Chichi when Goku and Gohan were on the road. 

Gohan and Ash had spent most of the day together, with Gohan teaching their customs to Ash so he would fit in better. When it was time to eat dinner, Chichi had de- veloped a sudden craving for Mexican food. "There wouldn't happen to be a Taco Bell nearby, would there?" Ash said. It was supposed to be a joke, but the next thing he knew, Goku had darted out, and brought home about 4500 yen ($30.00) worth of Taco Bell fast food. 

After dinner, the family had gathered in the living room, listening to different sto- ries that the wrestlers in the family had to tell. The only exception was Goku, and later, Yajirobie, who went upstairs. The others could tell they were retrieving stuff out of the attic. At about 10:00, Goku decided it was time the boys went to bed. 

"But where am I gonna sleep?" Ash asked. 

"Don't worry, we've got that all taken care of," Goku answered. Ash was lead to Gohan's room, where it turns out that Goku and Yajirobie had brought a bed frame, box spring, mattress and a headboard down from the attic. On the other side of Gohan's room, another bed had been set up. 

"What is this?" Gohan asked, astound. 

"Well, we had an extra bed in the attic," Goku explained, "and we set it up here. I hope you don't mind, son." 

"No, I don't mind," Gohan said. "It's just that-" 

"We just thought it would be a nice surprise," Yajirobie added. He then looked at his watch. "Well, I gotta get going. Paul E. Dangerously is supposed to meet with me tomorrow. I'll see you guys later." After they left, Ash and Gohan were changed and ready for bed. Goku tucked the boys in, and shut out the light. 

Later, as Ash and Gohan lay in their beds, they still hadn't quite fallen asleep. At least, Ash hadn't. He loved the support Goku and his family was giving him, but some- thing still didn't seem quite right to him. "Gohan?" he asked. 

Gohan was just dozing off, and - from what Goku told him - did not like to have his sleep interrupted. "What, Ash?" 

"What's gonna happen now, do you know?" 

"I'm not sure," Gohan mumbled, "we'll just have to take it one day at a time." He turned on his side. "But for now, let's just get some sleep." 

It's falling away from me... It's falling away from me... It's falling away from me... It's falling away from me...FALLING!!! 

At about 2:30 AM, Ash and Gohan were woken from their sleep. From what the two could make out, they heard rapid footfalls on the upstairs stairwell just outside their room, which led to their parents' room. With the footsteps, they also heard the sound of a woman moaning. Mom! 

Ash leapt from his bed, soon followed by Gohan, and they saw Goku laying Chichi down by the top of the stairs. Goku was moving faster than they had ever seen as he rushed for his coat and his slippers. 

"Mom!" Gohan shouted, "are you alright?!" 

"What's going on?" Ash asked. 

"It's alright," Chichi said, "soon, you'll have, a little brother-ohhhh!" Just then, Krillin, who had been alerted just moments earlier, pulled up outside the house. 

"We gotta take your mother to the hospital," Goku said, picking up his wife in his arms. "If you wanna come with us, get your shoes on and hurry!" In moments, Ash and Gohan were right behind Goku and Chichi, while Krillin had the doors to his car open for them. Ash and Gohan piled into shotgun, while Goku loaded Chichi into the back seat. And then, they were off. 

Krillin made it to the hospital in about 15 minutes while running every stop sign, red light, and cutting off several other cars. They came to such a screeching halt that Ash and Gohan nearly flew out the windshield. Krillin darted from the car, and a moment later, a stretcher came out, and took Chichi into the maternity ward. All Ash and Gohan could do was sit in the waiting room until further notice. 

Goku stayed right by his wife's side as Chichi was wheeled down the hallway to her room. She panted and huffed loudly as the medics talked rapidly towards each other. "Don't worry, honey," Goku convinced, "you're gonna be alright." 

"Goku, I don't think I'm ready for this," she wailed, "but it looks as if I have no choice, huh?" 

"Well," Goku answered, "looks like you don't have too much of a say in this mat- ter - " 

"WHO SAYS I DON'T HAVE A SAY IN THIS, IT'S MY KID, GOD DAMMIT!" she shouted. 

"Honey, you're gonna have to calm down, please!" 

"Don't worry, Mr. Sonn," one of the doctors said," this is just part of a transition phase." 

"THIS IS NO GOD DAMN TRANSITION PHASE, DAMMIT!" Ash Chichi was shouting, doctors were trying to get her under control, and she tightened her grip on Goku's hand. But, when Goku let out a yelp, everyone noticed that his fore and middle fingers weren't as straight as they were a minute ago. 

"Oh, I'll be alright," Goku said sheepishly. 

Just then, Krillin darted over to Goku and Chichi. Chichi and the medics had just disappeared behind a set of doors into the delivery room. "Goku!" 

"Krillin!" Goku answered. "Oh, man." 

"looks like I better be going then." He looked up at Goku. "Should I take the boys home?" 

"No, I want Gohan to meet his little brother when he comes into this world." Kril- lin nodded, and Goku went into the delivery room to encourage his wife. Krillin waited outside, nervously. 

Ash and Gohan waited in the waiting room the whole night. They ate things from the one snack machine, paced around, watched TV, but for the most part, they were sleeping, still in their pajamas. It was 6:30 in the morning. The sun was just coming up on the land of the rising sun. The boys were dozing off in their seats. And then, a bald midget busted out of the ward. 

"Ash! Gohan!" he shouted, very ecstatic. The two boys awoke with a jolt. "Come quick!" Seeing how serious he was, the two ran after the midget until he stopped right in front of a dimly lit room. "In there." 

When they looked in, Chichi was lying in bed, looking heavily fatigued, but smil- ing. Moreover, she had a small baby in her arms. Goku was smiling broadly, close to her side. The boys blushed a deep crimson and stared mouths agape. 

"It's okay, Gohan," Chichi said quietly. "Come in here and meet your new baby brother." 

Ash and Gohan entered cautiously, and approached Chichi. Gohan was in awe at the sight his mother held in her arms. He was still very cautious as he approached his mom. Goku put his arm around his shoulders. "Wow." he said quietly, almost in a whisper. 

"He's cute," Ash said, from the other side of Chichi. 

"Hey guys!" The four turned toward the door, where Krillin had a camera. He quickly snapped a photo as he got their attention. He then came in to join the family. "Have you decided on a name yet?" he asked. 

"Yes we have," Goku said. 

"We've decided to name him after my uncle." Chichi said. "Goten. Goten Sonn, that's his name." 

Since then, Ash Ketchum has been living with Gohan and his family. Ash learned many Japanese customs, developed a taste for Chichi's cooking, and refined his Japanese. Days after Chichi came home from giving birth of Goten Sonn, Goku decided he had an important announcement for the family that only he and Gohan knew about. He wanted to surprise the other two, and warned Gohan not to breathe a word about it. 

"Right now, I have an announcement I want to share with everybody here," Goku started. 

"What kind?" Chichi asked. 

"Well, to be honest with you, I've done some serious thinking lately. And I've been seriously considering adoption." 

"What?!" Chichi asked, startled. 

"Adoption?" Ash asked. "But you just had another kid, how can you think about that now? And who you gonna adopt anyway?" The main reason Ash went off like that was because he could not believe his ears. But what Goku said next would be even more unbelievable. 

"Simple, Ash. You." 

Two sets of chopsticks - Ash's and Chichi's - dropped to the table. He was lost for words. "M-me?" he asked. 

"Yeah. I figured you could use the emotional support, you know, of having a family that cares about you again. Besides, eventually, someone would come looking for you, take you away to god only knows where. Hell, the people you get stuck with might not want you to wrestle anymore, you know?" 

"I think it would be great for you Ash!" Gohan added. "We'll be brothers!" 

Ash was astounded. He was in total disbelief at what he heard. This family would just up and take him in like this? He felt so humble, and insignificant. He hung his head as he spoke. "Gee, um, I...I don't know what to say. I don't wanna be a bur- den for you folks...it's not that I'm ungrateful." 

"You won't be a burden. Trust me." 

"I'll never be able to make it up to you. Ever." 

"Well you can start by calling me `dad'." 

Ash smiled. "Okay dad." 

"I've made some appointments tomorrow. We'll have everything finalized by this time tomorrow night." 

The new family enjoyed a walk through a park after the legalities were settled the next day. The Sakura were in full bloom as Ash and Gohan Sonn ran off to play, leaving a proud Chichi - with Goten in a stroller - and Goku. But before Gohan could follow Ash, Goku stopped him. 

"Listen, son," Goku started. "I wanna talk to you for a moment." 

"Sure thing dad." Goku spent a few minutes talking to Gohan on the subject of his newborn brother, and his new adopted brother, and the responsibilities they would bring to them, especially him. Still, Goku implored Gohan not to think that his father or mother didn't love him as much as he used to given the two new additions to his family. Gohan understood fully. 

"Goku!!" 

Goku had unloaded his SUV and Ash and Gohan took off for the building when Triple H approached Goku in the parking lot. When he turned around, Triple H looked him dead in the eyes. 

"Paul," he answered. "Um, hey! What's going on?" 

"I heard what happened a couple of days ago with your wife. And I just got one thing to say." 

Goku didn't know how to take such a remark from Hunter Hearst Helmsley. So he decided to take a chance and answer him. "What's that?" 

He extended his hand out to Goku for a handshake. "Congratulations, man." 

"Hey, thanks!" Goku answered, shaking his hand. "Here, hold on, I got a picture of him I wanna give you." 

"Really?" 

He fumbled in his pockets for his wallet, and produced a picture of his newborn son Goten. He handed it to Hunter. "Here. His name is Goten." 

Triple H studied the picture for a few moments. And he was astounded. Man, he thought, he looks just like Goku! "That's one beautiful kid you got here," he said. 

"Think so?" However, before he could let Hunter answer, he saw Ash waiting for him at the entrance. "Listen, I gotta get going. My sons're waiting for me. See ya later! 

Now Triple H was kinda worried. Did he just say sons? However, when he looked up at Goku again, he was already into the building. Triple H simply put the pic- ture in his pocket. 

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" 

RAW that night was ending. Triple H had just lost a match to the team of Queen Beryl, The Rock, Goku and Ash Ketchum. Only, Goku had promised that his son, Go- han, would be in the match. Triple H was furious as he addressed Goku and Ash. 

"GOKU, YOU OWE ME A GOD DAMN APOLOGY!" Hunter was furious, as he feels that Goku had lied to him. "You promised me that your son would be in this fight!" 

"I know," came Goku's answer. Triple H spent about two minutes arguing at Go- ku explaining how Goku lied to him, and how Ash is now fighting Gohan's battles. How- ever, Triple H didn't see that Goku did indeed bring his son to the ring. He just wasn't very specific as to which son. Much to Triple H's surprise, Goku pulled some folded up papers out of his shirt, and presented them to Hunter. Only the word COPY could be seen. "I think these will clear up any more confusion." He handed him the papers, and left the ring, saying, "Come on, son" to Ash. 

Come on, son? Now Hunter was worried. So he unfolded the papers. It turns out they were copies of the adoption papers granting Goku legal custody of Ash Ketchum. And when Triple H read the papers, he was enraged. He knew that the threat of the Sonn family to the McMahon-Helmsley Era. But now that threat increased by one. One Ash Ketchum. So Triple H took his aggression out on the nearest thing, which just happened to be the announce and the timekeepers positions. 

As "Hurricane Hunter" - as Jerry "the King" Lawler had dubbed Triple H's path of destruction - took its toll, Goku and Ash Ketchum-Sonn watched from the entrance ramp, a broad and happy smile upon each of their faces. But it wouldn't be until Thurs- day until the world knew about Goku's adoption of Ash Ketchum. 

Beating me down, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground. Screaming so sound, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground.... Beating me down, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the ground. Screaming so sound, beating me, Beating me down, down, into the g.r.o.u.n.d........ 

c 2000 by Ari 


End file.
